In 1981 Mike Brearley had Ian Botham. In 2005 I had Andrew Flintoff. In 2019 Joe Root has Ben Stokes. The first two won their captain an Ashes series. The third will do the same.

I was involved in one of the great Ashes Tests at Edgbaston but this was better. We nearly lost that game in 2005. England won this one from nowhere.

At 286 for nine, with another 73 runs needed, England were done and dusted. Stokes’s team were 1-0 down in the series, he was facing a really strong attack and the Ashes were staying in Australia. But all of a sudden this colossal superman saved...